It's a common misconception that college is just for school leavers.
It's definitely not true - in 2022 alone, over 3000 adult learners took a course at East Durham College!
We're very aware that adults have a lot of responsibilities. Your work, your family life, your financial situation and so many other factors can be putting up barriers to your continued education; but at EDC, we offer full-time and part-time course routes in lots of different courses, so there's flexibility to fit around your existing commitments.
Vocational Courses - Full-Time Programmes for Adults at EDC
All of our full-time vocational course programmes are also available for adults.
So if you missed the chance to study something you're interested in the first time around, it's never too late at EDC!
Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to apply for funding to help with your course costs.
When we say full-time, we mean course programmes where you'll be attending college on most days of the week, so they may not be suitable for every adult.
If that's the case, don't fret! Keep scrolling down for more info on our part-time course programmes.
We offer full-time programmes in the following subject areas:
- Agriculture - Houghall Campus, Durham
- Animal Care, Science & Management - Houghall Campus, Durham
- Art & Design - Peterlee Campus
- Beauty Therapy - Peterlee Campus
- Brickwork - Peterlee Campus
- Business & Management - Peterlee Campus
- Carpentry & Joinery - Peterlee Campus
- Childcare & Health and Social Care - Peterlee Campus
- Computing & ICT - Peterlee Campus
- Creative Media Production - Peterlee Campus
- Electro-Technical Technology - Technical Academy Campus, Peterlee
- Engineering & Manufacturing - Technical Academy Campus, Peterlee
- Equine Studies - Houghall Campus, Durham
- Floristry & Floral Design - Houghall Campus, Durham
- Hairdressing & Barbering - Peterlee Campus
- Hospitality, Catering and Cookery - Peterlee Campus
- Land & Wildlife Management - Houghall Campus, Durham
- Motor Vehicle Maintenance - Technical Academy Campus, Peterlee
- Music and Music Technology - Peterlee Campus
- Painting and Decorating - Peterlee Campus
- Performing Arts - Peterlee Campus
- Plumbing & Heating Engineering - Technical Academy Campus, Peterlee
- Science - Peterlee Campus
- Sports - Peterlee Campus
- Travel & Tourism - Peterlee Campus
- Tree Surgery (Arboriculture) - Houghall Campus, Durham
- Uniformed Public Services - Peterlee Campus
- Veterinary Nursing - Houghall Campus, Durham
Part-Time Course for Adults at East Durham College
The bulk of adults studying with us at East Durham College study part-time.
We offer a large variety of different courses with part-time study. Most courses are taught on an evening, but several also have daytime routes available if you prefer.
Studying part-time, you can expect to be studying 1 to 2 days per week, usually for around 3 hours on an evening (for example, a course may be from 6PM-9PM).
As with full-time course programmes, depending on the course and/or your circumstances, you may be able to receive funding to help pay for all or some of the course costs.
For more information on course funding, please click this link >>
The following part-time course programmes are available at East Durham College. Depending on the time of year, we also run several special offer courses, so keep an eye out for those too!
Access to Higher Education
Think you've missed out on your opportunity to go to University? Think again!
Access to Higher Education courses are part-time, taught on an evening, and are designed to give you the UCAS points you need to go on to study at university afterwards.
Before we get further into it, check it out in the video below!
Sounds good, right?
We currently offer Access to HE courses in Humanities, Nursing & Midwifery and Science.
Click here to view more information about Access to Higher Education >>
Click here to view the full range of courses available >>
Accountancy
Always thought about retraining to be an accountant? With EDC's range of part-time accountancy courses, you can!
We're a full AAT (the Association of Accounting Technicians) approved centre, so you know that the course you're studying are of the highest quality and designed to enhance your accountancy career.
As with several other part-time study programmes at EDC, these courses are available both during the day and on an evening - fitting neatly around your existing commitments.
To find out more about Accountancy in general as a subject, please click here >>
Or to view all available accountancy courses, please click here >>
Barbering
Creative and good with your hands? Consider studying barbering part-time at East Durham College!
Under the tutelage of our multi award-winning barbering lecturer (including winning the title of the UK's first-ever Grand Master Barber!), you'll learn how to complete a wide variety of haircuts and styles.
It's a fantastic time to get into the barbering industry too; it's never been more trendy than it is now, and more and more men turn to professional barbers for their haircuts every single year.
Or to view available courses in barbering, please click here >>
Cookery (Catering & Hospitality)
Think you're a dab hand in the kitchen and want to take your skills to the next level? Think about studying cookery part-time with us here at EDC!
Taught part-time on an evening, this course is ideal for expanding your skillset and potentially training yourself up for a career in professional cooking.
You can find out more information about Professional Cookery as a subject by clicking here >>
Or to view all available Professional Cookery courses, please click here >>
Counselling
If you're a good listener and enjoy working with other people, a potential career in counselling could be for you.
At East Durham College, we offer counselling courses from Level 2 all the way up to foundation degree level, meaning there's plenty of chance for progression.
As with other courses on this page, counselling's taught part-time, usually on an evening (although the foundation degree programme is more intense and taught over a single day per week).
You can find out more information about Counselling as a subject by clicking here >>
Or you can view all available Counselling courses by clicking here >>
Distance Learning
Distance learning's exactly like it sounds - you study from home or work and can gain a number of level 2 and level 3 qualifications while doing so!
Better still, you can study distance learning completely FREE of charge!
Seriously. FREE.
Before we get too into it - check out yourself what it's all about by watching our vid below:
We offer loads of different distance learning courses, from everything from cyber security to courses in understanding autism.
For more information on Distance Learning as a subject in general, please click here >>
Or please click here to view the full range of available distance learning courses >>
Dog Grooming
Love dogs? Why not make a career out of working with them by turning them into beautiful, pampered pooches?
With a dog grooming course at EDC's Houghall campus, you can make it happen!
Our course are available part-time and are great for adults looking to mix up their career.
For more information on Dog Grooming as a course in general, please click here >>
Or please click here to view the full range of dog grooming courses >>
Floristry
One of the most popular courses we have here at EDC for adults, a course in floristry is great for whether you're just looking for a new hobby or actually considering becoming a professional florist.
Take a look at what floristry's all about in our video below!
We're extremely proud of the quality of our floristry classes - all of our tutors are award-winning florists in their own right, so you know you're learning from the very best.
We offer floristry courses all the way from Level 1 up to Level 4, so there's plenty available if you're passionate about getting into the industry!
For more information about Floristry in general as a subject, please click here >>
Or to view the full range of available Floristry courses, please click here >>
Functional Skills Maths & English/GCSEs
If you missed out on a pass grade in maths or English in the past, it's never too late to get it!
At East Durham College, we offer regular maths and English classes in both Functional Skills and GCSEs, helping you to gain highly-desirable maths and English qualifications that employers look for when considering candidates.
The courses are available as a fast track option where you'll complete a week of intense study, or as longer courses where you'll study at a slower pace to prepare you for an eventual exam.
For more information about Functional Skills Maths and English, please click here >>
For more information about GCSEs, please click here >>
Or to view all available Functional Skills courses, please click here >>
To view all GCSE courses, please click here >>
Nail Technology
If you love getting stunning nail art on your own nails, why not learn to do it for others too and potentially make a career out of it?
At East Durham College, our dedicated beauty salon is the perfect place to learn nail technology.
We offer Nail Technology courses at both Level 2 and Level 3.
Please click here to view the full range of nail technology courses available >>
Photography
Whether you've never touched a camera before, or own a DSLR and want to get off auto and onto manual, or maybe you're even an experienced photographer without the qualifications to back it up, our part-time photography courses are perfect for you!
Taught on an evening and available at both our Peterlee and Houghall campuses (depending on the time of year), our photography courses will teach you everything from the basics of the exposure triangle to getting to grips with different shoots including model shooting, landscapes and much more.
Sounds good, right? Grab that camera and get signed up today!
For more information about Photography as a subject, please click here >>
Or to view all available courses, please click here >>
Sport
With some of the best sport facilities available in the North East, studying a part-time course in sport with us is always a good idea!
We offer several different sport-related part-time courses, including our fitness instructing course, instructing group circuit training course and a full foundation degree programme in sports coaching, taught over two years in association with the University of Sunderland.
For more information on sport courses and sport at EDC in general, please click here >>
Or please click here to view the full range of available courses >>
Teaching Assistant & Teacher Training
Whether you want to train to be a teaching assistant or an actual teacher, we've got you covered here at EDC!
For those looking to become a teaching assistant, our supporting teaching and learning qualifications available at Level 2 and 3 are the perfect route.
Or if you want to train to become a teacher instead, we've got loads of different qualifications available including PGCE and PCET, as well as specialist courses for examining staff too.
The best part? They're all delivered part-time as well!
Find out more about teacher training as a subject by clicking here >>
Or click here to view the full range of courses available >>
Houghall Campus
